SHIMANE (TR) – Shimane Prefectural Police arrested a 66-year-old woman after she allegedly threatened “to spread” the novel coronavirus in Matsue City on Monday, reports the Chugoku Shimbun (Apr. 6).
At around 11:30 a.m., Yaeko Sera, of no known occupation, approached a 41-year-old male employee on the first floor of the government office for the city.
“I went to Tokyo. I came here to spread the coronavirus,” she reportedly said. “But there are not a lot of people [here] today so I should probably give up. If I remove my mask and talk, that’s all that is needed [to spread it].”
Upon her arrest on suspicion of disruption of business, Sera denied the allegations. “I didn’t say anything about spreading the coronavirus,” the suspect was quoted by the Matsue Police Station.
According to police, the woman had not visited Tokyo. As well, she shown no symptoms of COVID-19, which is the disease caused by the coronavirus.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of coronavirus infections in Japan rose by 362 on Tuesday to 5,202.
On Tuesday, Prime Minster Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six prefectures, including Osaka, Saitama and Kanagawa, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
